Snapshots

There are times in our lives that we get the right picture. We capture the precise moment when something wonderful is happening. The focus is there. The lighting is absolutely National Geographic quality. Perhaps it is the award winning smile of a little cub scout getting a trophy for his first Pinewood Derby win. Maybe it is the the high note on a brass trumpet for a fifth grade ensemble, or the smile of the sweetest little girl belting out her first holiday concert in a smart red plaid skirt.

These times are snapshots of our lives. They are the events that weave the fabric of our hearts. A fabric that will keep us warm long after those days are over. We can look back over those pictures and remember the moment. They bring us back to where we were when we shot that image.

They allow us the ability to time travel with both our hearts and minds.  These images allow us to relive times that brought much joy and happiness in a world that is often swallowing us with sorrow and grief.

Then there are moments in our day to day lives that we don't usually think are "shot" worthy enough to have the camera out for. Shots of siblings playing 'puppies' with cotton balls as food, and pillows as doggie beds. Pictures of a seven year old acting out "Captain Underpants".

Yet these images also create that quilt of comfort. However they aren't usually ones that get the awards of being published on social media. There is no cropping or manipulating of these images. They are raw and real. Sometimes after the fact we wish we would have had the camera in hand, but alas the moment is fleeting and over. All that is left is the memory.

This week I had one of those images weave its way into my heart. It was a simple gesture, but one that any mother of children, especially boys, longs for. My oldest, after three years of playing hockey, made his first goal. It was a spectacular event! I was bursting with pride at his accomplishment. I mean hands in the air, standing, high-fiving, cheering, and celebrating was happening!!!

I thought I couldn't be more proud. I thought my heart couldn't be happier. But, when he returned to the center of the ice for a face off, his younger brother, skated up to him and patted him on the back to congratulate him. It was the SWEETEST THING I HAVE EVER SEEN!

My heart was squeezed so tightly. You know the feeling. You want to cry, but you are so happy that you don't want to ruin the moment. Yup, that was me. That was my momma heart. Just being squeezed from across the ice by a little seven year old who has no idea he has such super powers.

It was a moment, brother to brother that brought tears to my eyes. A true love for one another that needed no prompting from me to happen. It was real. It was genuine. It was the essence of brotherly love.

Where was the camera? Where was the shot? Gone. Five seconds max and the moment was over and the game continued. Everything moved on and resumed normal speed while I sat there in momma wonder. I wanted to replay the video in my head. It was a gift. A true gift for me to see that with my eyes. I thanked God for the gift of eyesight at that moment.

That was a moment I will never forget. It needs no picture. It will be forever in my memory as a proud momma moment on many levels.

This is just one example of the snapshots of our lives that need no photo to remind us of. Events that are so powerful for what ever the reason, they are clearly seared into our hearts and minds. Both tender and powerful. Perhaps too tender to capture with mere shutter speed. Moments that only our hearts can hold as carefully and gently as those events need to be held.

Snapshots that remind us that memories are the best gift we can ever get.